Stefanie Bales is an award-winning Fine Artist, muralist, and boutique gallery owner- all of which are umbrellaed under her multifaceted creative brand, Stefanie Bales Fine Art. Stefanie opened her gallery Stefanie Bales Fine Art in Sept 2018 and it has since become a staple in the downtown community- winning the title of "Best Art Gallery in San Diego" for 3 years running.
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Bales relocated to California in 2005 after graduating with cum laude honors from the University of Delaware's Honors Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. Her academic journey continued as she earned a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology focusing on Art Therapy practices, a path that greatly influenced her artistic practice. Her experiences working with students with neurodiversity sparked a profound interest in the visual exploration of cognitive neuroscience and the collective subconscious—concepts that are intricately woven into her contemporary oeuvre.
Bales was a professor of Art and Design for over a decade before transitioning to focus exclusively on her art practice six years ago.
Bales paints surreal, cerebral, “dreamscapes”- imaginary, psychogeographical environments that harmoniously amalgamate diverse topologies into cohesive, expansive "places”. Her compositions employ principles of Gestalt Perceptual Psychology, encompassing scale, perspective, horizon, light source, geography, topography, and temporal dimensions. Her majestic scenes feel simultaneously personal and ubiquitous, novel and nostalgic, painterly and hyperreal. Her works have frequently been compared to the fantastical outputs of AI; however, unlike digital or AI-generated art, each of Bales's hand-painted pieces is unique and unreplicable, embodying the singular nature of her original artistic process.
Bales's portfolio includes a wide array of commissioned works for esteemed clients in both the public and private sectors, such as the City of San Diego, Balboa Park, Ansun Biopharma, The San Diego Museum of Art, Longfellow Real Estate, and the JFiN Collection. Recently, she held a solo exhibition at Sparks Gallery in downtown San Diego and participated in an exhibition for the World Design Capital—San Diego Tijuana. Her art has received significant acclaim, with features in notable publications including LA Weekly, Business Insider, Art Ltd., and Fine Art Connoisseur. Bales was honored with the title of “Best Artist” in San Diego through public vote and serves as a founding board member of the San Diego Chapter of Soho House. Additionally, she is a prolific speaker and is scheduled to present at TEDx SDSU this fall on the topic “The Things They Don’t Teach You in Art. Stefanie Bales is also a devoted mother to two sons, Weston and Rowan, whom she considers her greatest works of art.
1504 India St, San Diego CA 92101
(610)-213-8215
M.S. in Educational Counseling. *with distinction
Pupil Personnel Services Credential
Thesis: Art Therapy and Autism
National University. La Jolla, CA
2007- 2009
B.F.A. Studio Art
Painting Concentration. History minor.
The University of Delaware, honors program. Newark, DE
2001-2004
Professor; Art + Design
Platt College, San Diego, CA
2008 – 2018
Adjunct Professor; Expressive Arts Therapies
Online Instruction for Masters and Certificate level courses.
San Diego University for Integrative Studies, San Diego, CA
2010-2011
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2020
2019
2018
My recent works are collections of whimsical, cerebral, light-filled land and seascape paintings. I’ve developed and honed an original process that I use to compose much of my work. My process is similar to collage, but instead of cut and paste, I’m using an original ‘ink transfer’ process to transfer bits of texture and imagery onto the canvas which I then paint (with acrylic) within, over, and around, responding intuitively as I continue to build out imagery and form the larger narrative and composition. I don’t use any larger references, and never know how the painting is going to evolve until it’s finished.
My process results in chimerical, surreal, and often hyperreal compositions that employ multiple principles of Gestalt Perceptual Psychology related to scale, perspective, horizon line, light source, topography/geography, and time, and most of the environments couldn’t exist the way they are painted due to these perceptual anomalies. My works have frequently been compared to the fantastical outputs of AI; however, unlike digital or AI-generated art, due to the nature of my original process, each painting is truly original and unreplicable, even by myself as the artist.
My work investigates the idea of the collective subconscious, and how aesthetics play a significant role in our memories. My aim is that the viewer sees the work as a whole, and it isn’t until further investigation that the incongruities that give it its surreal and ‘dream-like’ qualities are noticed. It evokes dynamic conversation when one viewer inquires about a painting being “here”, and another, at the same time, says it reminds them of “there”- but truly each painting is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. My work is meant to be an escape- one that transports viewers to a place that inspires whimsy, nostalgia, and wanderlust.
